Oy Vershe Miy, Vershe

"Oy Vershe Miy, Vershe"
Song by
Miro Skala [uk],
Hanna Sherey [uk],
Baiko Sisters [uk],
Kvitka Cisyk,
Jamala,
Illaria [uk]
LanguageUkrainian (Lemko dialect [uk])
English titleOh Mountain, My Mountain
Released1885 (1885), 1928 (1928)
Genre
LabelColumbia Records, Melodiya
Songwriter(s)Folk music

Oy Vershe Miy, Vershe (Ukrainian: Ой верше мій, верше, transl. "Oh Mountain, My Mountain") — a Lemko folk song. It is one of the most popular Lemko songs, holding a special place among the most performed Ukrainian songs.

The song belongs to the category of family and wedding songs.[1] It narrates the tale of a young woman who falls in love and marries a man. However, she feels a sense of longing, anticipating that life in a new home and marriage will not be as comforting as it was with her mother.

Following the expulsion of the Lemko people from their historical homeland as a result of the so-called "freewill" deportation from Poland to the USSR (1944–1946) and the ethnic cleansing of "Operation Vistula" (1947), the song "Vershe Miy, Vershe" became a symbol of the people's yearning for their lost homeland.[2] For many Lemkos, the victory of Crimean Tatar singer Jamala with this song at the "New Wave" competition held a particular significance.

"You could hear how the pain of deportation of one ethnic group of people connected to Ukraine echoed with the pain of another ethnic group of people connected to Ukraine."[3]

  1. ^ Квітка, К. (2005). Українські народні мелодії. Ч. 2: Коментар / Упоряд. та ред. А. Іва- ницького. К.: ПоліграфКонсалтинг. p. 200.
  2. ^ Радкевич, Юлія Миколаївна (2019). "Співак як співавтор: особливості репрезентації української народної пісенності у концертно-мистецькому просторі сьогодення". Archived from the original on 2021-01-08. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  3. ^ "Про депортацію лемків у Радянському Союзі не можна було говорити – історик". Archived from the original on Dec 19, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2017.